Amazon Kindle 2 Info

Amazon Kindle 2 Info

For those familiar with the Amazon Kindle, you already know that this device has revolutionized book reading. It is an eReader, a natural evolution of the book. The Kindle 2 is a hand held electronic device which provides clear and crisp readable text, and is capable of storing an entire library.

The Kindle 2 takes this concept further, strengthening what readers like most about the original Kindle while making the device even thinner and lighter. Part of me has a strong sense of nostalgia for all the books and magazines I have laying around my house. But there come’s a time to embrace the fruits of new technology (and hopefully save a few trees in the process).

While not a great selling point, it appears that Amazon is going to move the control of text-to-speech feature from the user to the publisher to avoid any legal entanglements while presumably maximizing their profit. Here’s an excerpt of the news post from CNET:

«On Friday (Feb. 27, 2009), Amazon announced it would reconfigure the Kindle 2’s systems to allow publishers to disable the text-to-speech function for titles of their choosing. However, the retailer made it clear in the announcement that it believed text-to-speech did not violate copyright.»

How will your reading experience change with the Kindle 2?

First off if you finish a book, it’s very easy to move on to your next interest either by pre-downloading it into your buffer of 1500 books or grabbing it on the fly from the whisper net. The reader weighs just over 10ounces which means its lighter than hardcover books, yet is durable enough to withstand a drop on the ground, although I’d advise against extensive testing. The battery life will allow many hours of reading when you’re on the go. There is a large source of free books that can be read on eReaders and this virtual library is increasing over time. The eReader has a built in web browser so you can freely browse the web without any additional monthly cost. You can also subscribe to eMagazine’s and get them instantly downloaded for viewing.

Now for some less than stellar feedback. Users with pdf or other unsupported ebook formats may be disappointed as they are forced to convert files manually. The task can be tedious, especially for large libraries. If you use an iPhone and the Kindle app, you won’t be able to read content you upload to your kindle on your iPhone. What this means is only kindle purchased books are available via the Kindle app on your iPhone.

Overall the customer reviews are far in favor of the Kindle 2 ereader experience. The ease of handling, the ability to get content on the go, and the fast page turning and book downloading make the Kindle 2 vanish and the stories and content come to life, precisely the experience you want from a reader device.